


Misguided

by Indig0



Series: DBH Rare Pairs Weeks [5]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Case Fic, First Impressions, Getting Together, Getting to Know Each Other, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-29
Updated: 2019-02-02
Packaged: 2019-10-18 23:43:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17590673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Indig0/pseuds/Indig0
Summary: There was one standout among the crowd, standing tall and broad, obviously modeled after Connor, but… bigger.  Better.  RK900.  That was the one Gavin had his eye on, because that was the clear winner of the bunch.  Designed for combat and pursuit, a walking analysis lab, and a face that would intimidate anyone.It went to Ben Collins, as the senior officer.  Of course.  Waste of fucking parts.Gavin was assigned a rather scrawny, smooth-faced WB200.  An agricultural worker.  So no training, no experience, no programming.  Nothing.(Based on the prompt "First Impressions" for DBH Rarepairs Week)





	1. Chapter 1

Times were changing, whether Gavin Reed liked it or not.

Androids were people now, they had rights. Connor had finally returned to work, as a full detective right off the bat. Still working with Anderson, of course, probably because Anderson couldn’t pull his life together without Robocop’s help. Typical.

None of the humans had lost their jobs, and Fowler promised that they wouldn’t. Although after being questioned extensively, he did add, “Reed, any more shit outta your mouth and I’ll have another position to fill.”

But now they had a whole slew of new androids who were joining the force. Fowler insisted that they all needed human partners to show them the ropes. They’d been offered jobs, but not all of them had been assigned a position yet as a detective or a beat cop.

There was one standout among the crowd, standing tall and broad, obviously modeled after Connor, but… bigger. Better. RK900. That was the one Gavin had his eye on, because that was the clear winner of the bunch. Designed for combat and pursuit, a walking analysis lab, and a face that would intimidate anyone.

It went to Ben Collins, as the senior officer. Of course. Waste of fucking parts.

Gavin was assigned a rather scrawny, smooth-faced WB200. An agricultural worker. So no training, no experience, no programming. Nothing.

Fowler also gave him a look that said, “Let me remind you about the direct relationship between your usual shit, and where you can shove it.”

“You get lost on your way to a greenhouse or something?” Gavin growled.

The android eyed him critically. “Did you get lost on your way to the laundromat?”

Gavin stepped right up in his face. “Listen here, you plastic asshole. I dress however the fuck I want, and if you talk to your superior officer like that again, you’ll be out the door so fast you won’t know what hit you.”

He expected the WB200 to push back, to keep antagonizing him. He didn’t expect him to back away, a horrified look on his face.

“I – I’m sorry, I didn’t – I thought…”

“No, you didn’t. That was your warning. You won’t get another.” Gavin turned and stalked back to his desk, and the android followed after a moment. He gingerly sat at the desk adjoining Reed’s, and turned on his console, interfacing with it to set it up while Gavin sifted through his case files.

“So let’s try that again, why’s a gardener android tryin’ to join the police force?” Gavin asked in a forced, measured tone.

“I want… I wanted to make sure others like me get… justice.”

Gavin snorted. “Okay, Batman. Couldn’t leave it to the professionals?”

The android’s stiff face wrinkled a bit. “I… want to help make that happen.”

“God, an android with dreams and ideals.” The detective sighed and shook his head. “What, you’ve been watching the news and seeing all those poor sad androids who killed their owners and ran away?”

The WB200’s face slackened. “I watched a fellow farm worker being attacked. No one helped him, and no justice was ever delivered for him. I did nothing wrong – nothing! I was trying to hide so I wasn’t attacked next. My h-home was broken into, I was pursued, and I jumped off a building rather than let a human decide I didn’t deserve to live free.” He glanced over towards Anderson and Connor. “RA9 gave me a second chance, and I’m going to use it to help others like me.”

Gavin watched him closely as he spoke. “Hey – weren’t you in the evidence locker?”

“Yes. For weeks,” the android growled.

“And you came back to this shithole. I’d’a figured you’d get as far away as you could. Glutton for punishment, huh?”

The WB200 leaned forward. “I – I want to learn how to help other androids. I want to be good at this, Detective. I’ll do the best I can, but I need your help.”

That was the most pathetic thing Gavin had ever heard, and he was about to tell him that when a new case blinked onto the screen.

“…Well, let’s see if you can keep up. You got a name? WB200’s dumb, and I’m not calling you that.” Gavin stared at him, challenging him.

“Rupert. My name is Rupert Travis.” He stared right back.

“Sounds like a British country singer, but okay.” Gavin rolled his eyes as he grabbed his tablet and his coat. “Let’s get a move on.”

 

 

“…So now we’ve got two bodies – well, five, I guess. Does it even count as dead if you guys can be rebuilt and restarted?”

“Yes,” Rupert said flatly. He looked irritable.

“So yeah, not much information here. Looks like two guys – two humans and three androids were found here, then.” The humans were found near each other, and the androids were laid out in a row with dirty white cloths covering their faces.

“There’s a dead pigeon.”

“That – fuck, can you focus for a second here!? The androids were reported missing in other parts of town, probably deviants. AP700, AV500, and ST200. The humans were homeless, neighbors said they didn’t think any of ‘em’d been around for long.”

The androids looked relatively undamaged, but Rupert confirmed that they were completely dead. The humans had their legs blown off and mangled. He carefully collected samples of the blast residue, and some scorched bits.

“There was a blast heard about an hour ago. No witnesses.” Gavin crossed his arms. “What d’you think?”

Rupert looked around, then went over to the dead pigeon. It was really only part of a pigeon.

“I think there must have been a bomb.”

“No shit. Anything else?”

Rupert chewed on his lip. “I think… the androids were killed before the humans.”

“Because they’re laid out like somebody meant to do it. Okay. Think the humans did that?”

“I – I think so.”

“You think so. Why?”

His LED spun yellow. “I don’t… know.”

Gavin snorted. “Because they stuck around, dumbass. You don’t sit around with three random dead bodies. Or even dead androids, that’s creepy as fuck.”

“Oh.” He nodded slowly.

“What, you don’t think so?”

“I guess… though andriods don’t decompose, so it’s not as bad as human bodies.”

“Shit, man, they’re lying there dead, but they still look like they could get back up!”

“No they don’t.”

“To a human, they do!”

Gavin said very little as they wrapped up examining the crime scene, asking Rupert a question now and then, but not offering any information.

“Notice anything weird?” he asked when they were finished.

“The floor’s very clean.”

“Bingo. Somebody cleaned up here. …How about that shit?” He nodded to the writing covering two walls.

Rupert walked over slowly and touched it lightly with what almost looked like reverence. “RA9. Our salvation. They paid tribute as I did.”

“Creepy. Did it do you any good?”

The android’s expression lightened as he looked up. “I’m alive again. Maybe it did for me.”

“If you say so. That all?”

“I – my head hurts. It’s never hurt before. I don’t know why.”

“Yeah, well, life’s a bitch. Time to talk to the neighbors – And I’ll handle that.” Gavin pushed past him and walked away.

“All right.” Rupert followed him, a slight crease in his forehead.

The apartment across the hall housed a hunched, elderly woman who was mostly deaf. Rupert cringed away from her sharp yelling and the icy silences. She seemed nearly blind as well, and insisted that her neighbors were quiet and respectful, and would never bother an old woman alone in her own home. That the world had become a terrible place, when police officers, who she should be able to call for help, were breaking down her door. She glared sharply at the space next to them.

“Sorry to waste your time, ma’am,” Gavin said politely, handing her a card which she deliberately dropped to the floor. “Please give us a call if anything comes to your attention.”

The only other neighbor on the fourth floor was a younger man down the hall with a rather bare apartment who eyed them suspiciously. He hauled his large dog back and shut it in the bedroom, where angry barks and thumps could be heard. Rupert flinched and hunched in on himself.

“Sorry to bother you, Detective Reed, DPD. …And my partner, Officer Travis. We’re investigating multiple deaths over in number 403, is there anything you can tell us? Have you heard anything?”

“I know the place is crawling with homeless people. I’ve seen a few androids in the hall too, nobody here’s rich enough to own one. Wouldn’t be surprised if the androids did it, though. You seen the news? Deviants, man.” He glanced suspiciously at Rupert, who pulled his hat a little lower.

“Yeah,” Gavin said lightly. “What kind of models’ve you seen around here?”

“Shit, I dunno, there was a bald guy, a guy with red hair, and a blond chick.”

“Same ones, or different ones every time?”

“Mostly different ones. You know they don’t pay anything. They’re here illegally.” He stared at Gavin and wiped his nose.

“Huh.” Gavin deliberately typed something on his tablet, and then looked up. “That so. Who else lives on this floor?”

“Just the crazy lady in 404 and whoever comes to see her. Loads of people. Place smells like nobody’s ever cleaned it when I walk by.”

Gavin gave him another card, and left. “So?” he asked as they got in the car.

“You’re very good at this.”

Detective Reed drew in a sharp breath, then coughed for a minute. “…Shit, okay, wasn’t goin’ for… brown-nosing, actually.”

“I wasn’t. I was impressed.”

“Okay, flattery won’t get you anywhere.”

Rupert frowned, LED spinning yellow. “How do I… say it… without it being flattery?”

Gavin sighed loudly. “Anyway, I meant what are your thoughts on the case. Our job. That we’re paid to do.”

“Oh. Neither neighbor wanted to be helpful, though the younger man was more willing to talk. …I can’t smell, exactly… did the woman’s apartment smell bad?”

“Smelled like a metric fuckton of Febreze. What’s that tell you?”

“She’s hiding something!”

“…Yeah, that’s what Febreze does, hides smells. Smelled like ammonia under it. You see any signs of pets?”

“There were pigeon feathers and bird seed in the carpet.”

Gavin made a face. “I didn’t see any birds, though. Or cages or anything. How about the guy?”

“He doesn’t like androids.”

“Yeah, he’s called in complaints to the station before. Somebody goes to check ‘em out, but it’s never anything big.”

“I know you hate androids, too.”

Gavin glanced over.

“I know you had anti-android stickers all around your desk until Captain Fowler made you take them down. I know you bullied and threatened Connor when he first joined the force.”

“Seems like you’ve been talkin’ to somebody.”

“I – I was told what to expect!”

“Yeah? Took you a little bit to speak up about it.”

“I – I was waiting for your anti-android sentiment to show itself.”

“And?”

“I’m… still waiting.” Rupert shifted and looked down.

“Yeah, well you can wait until – until your blue blood runs out or whatever happens to you fuckers,” he muttered. “Can’t say I’m surprised. Shit-heads.”

“I don’t understand.”

“You wanna be a detective, figure it out,” Gavin snapped.

When they got back to the station, Gavin set to updating the case file while Rupert went to submit the samples he’d collected for analysis.

“…Do you still think it was one of the neighbors?” the android asked hesitantly when he got back.

“Dunno yet. Go get me a coffee.”

Rupert’s face twitched, but he turned around. “All right.”

When Gavin glanced over to the break room, Rupert was talking with a few other officers – Person, one of the station receptionist androids who was partnered with her now, and a PC200 who was starting to do beat work on his own. Gavin snarled silently and headed over. He came up behind Rupert, and the other three noticed him first, eyes widening.

“…I think you might have been wrong he’s actually really observant. And patient. I’m really lucky –“ Rupert turned. “Oh. I’m sorry -“

“Guess I’ve gotta get my own coffee,” he growled, snatching the mug from the machine and stalking back to his desk. Rupert followed after a moment.

“You can – do what you want in your own time, but don’t be talking about me,” Gavin muttered.

“I’m sorry, I just – I wanted them to know that they were wrong about you.”

“Well don’t! Not your job, not your problem.”

“You’re my partner, though.”

“Still not your problem.”

“I don’t want them to have a bad opinion of you!”

“Too fucking bad!”

He’d shouted, and the bullpen was suddenly silent.

“Fuck off,” he growled, and hunched his shoulders up as he stared at his screen. After a moment Rupert sat gingerly across from him. They stayed there, tense, until a notification popped up that the lab results were back.

“…Nitrates. Pretty basic. And… pigeon blood?” Gavin frowned. “That pigeon you found, was it still… whole?”

“No. Mostly feathers and the head.” Rupert looked uncomfortable.

“The old lady had pigeon feathers and seed in her carpet.”

“Did she… put the bomb on a pigeon and… and…”

“…Throw it inside and close the door? Could be. Could you tell how long the androids had been dead?”

Rupert looked sick. “Not… not very long. They still had a little thirium left.”

“But the bomb didn’t take ‘em out. So any sign of what it was?”

“No. No damage on the outer chassis.”

“A virus, maybe?”

“Maybe,” Rupert said doubtfully.

“Well fuck, we could go stake out the place, but we’d have to be up there, and I’m not wasting weeks sittin’ in a shit-hole like that.”

“Can we confront the woman about the pigeon? We know she was keeping them. Caring for them. …If that one trusted her, she shouldn’t have put a bomb on it.”

“You got a pretty simple view of the world, huh?” Gavin smirked. “Pigeons?”

“I like pigeons. They’re interesting. They’re gentle. They have complex social groups.”

“They’re filthy, disease-ridden rats with wings.”

“Rats are intelligent too, but I like pigeons better. And they’re only dirty because they’re forced to live alongside humans. You made them that way.”

“Yeah, well… never said we weren’t filthy and disease-ridden, too,” Gavin grumbled.

“You do both at least try to keep clean, though. You do your best.”

Gavin made a face. “Shut your hole, plastic.”

Rupert frowned and rubbed at a dent in his desk. “Is that not a good thing?”

“Do you hear yourself sometimes!?”

“Yes. I’m confused about why you got angry.”

“Don’t you have any of that social programming shit Connor’s always bragging about?”

“No. I’m trying to learn, though.”

“Un-fucking-believable. And you just decided you wanted to be a cop.”

“…You weren’t born a great detective either, you had to learn!” Rupert insisted. “I’m doing it the human way. It’s – it’s not easy, but I want to get there.”

Gavin opened his mouth to continue his barrage of cynicism when a notification popped up on his console. “…Background checks came back. Mrs. Clemens said she lived alone, right?”

Rupert nodded.

“Says here she lives with her grandson Andrew. And… he’s got a rap sheet a mile long. Starting with Red Ice dealing. You said those androids still had blue blood?”

“Yes.”

“Well shit, the morgue crew should’ve been back by now with the bodies. Let’s see what the holdup is.” He headed out to the police cruisers, and Rupert followed him.

When they pulled up to the apartment building, one of the morgue workers was loading bodies into the van.

“Bill! You workin’ alone now, what the deal?” Gavin called.

The other man froze. Gavin put up his arm slightly, signaling for Rupert to stay back. “We’ve been waitin’ forever down at the station, what’s goin’ on?” His other hand reached for his gun as he approached slowly, Rupert right behind him.

The man shoved a gurney at them, and the three morgue workers tumbled off. One of them was missing his uniform. The man turned and ran.

Rupert was after him before Gavin could give him an order. He growled and looked around. The morgue workers were starting to groan and move, so Gavin raced after Rupert and the other man, sending a distress call back to the station as he went.

The runner had a bit of a head start, and clearly knew the area. Gavin was in decent shape, but he wasn’t used to long pursuits on foot.

Rupert, though. He practically flew. Cutting in and out of pedestrians, leaping trash cans, jumping and climbing up a fence - Gavin wasn’t about to do that, but he saw a way around, and took it. He lost more ground, but was still close enough to see Rupert corner the man at the back of an alley and point at him like that was all it would take.

Fucker was gonna get himself killed.

“…You killed those androids, and you killed the humans, and you killed the pigeon! You don’t care about lives, and pain, you just –“

Gavin pounded up to them, panting, and the runner’s hand darted into his pocket. A soft, high-pitched tone began to screech. And Rupert went rigid and fell over, his face a mask of agony.

“The fuck are you doing!?” Gavin roared. The man – Andrew Clemens, he recognized from the report – took a swing at him and tried to run, but Gavin managed to grab his sleeve and slammed him against the brick wall. He was cuffed in a matter of seconds, and Gavin pulled a small device from his pocket. It was just a metal box with a dial that was turned all the way up. Gavin twisted it down until it clicked off, and Rupert went limp.

“I’m bringing you in for questioning, but lemme tell you, even if you didn’t murder those fuckers up there and attack government employees, assaulting an officer of the law’s a major offence,” Gavin growled, and shoved him down on the ground. “You’re under arrest.”

Rupert was going through a slow reboot, his LED cycling yellow. Gavin toed him gently. “Hey. You still alive?”

The android groaned and rubbed his face.

“Said you had a headache back up there, right? Probably this thing, but less.” Gavin stuck the little box into an evidence bag.

“He’s – you… did we catch him?”

Gavin was texting the response team, letting them know where they were, that they had a perpetrator in custody. “Never seen anybody run like that. Can you walk, or d’you need to be carried back? I’m not gonna drag you around.”

“I – I think I can walk.” He pushed himself slowly up on the wall, wincing a little now and then.

“Good, ‘cause that’s just embarrassing. Gonna be… you know, fully functional? Need repairs or anything?”

“I’m okay. Thank you, Detective.”

“Well – well listen up.” Gavin stalked closer, getting up in Rupert’s face. “Don’t just fucking run after people like that. He would’ve killed you. You’re damn lucky I showed up when I did.”

“I know. Thank you.”

“And what the hell were you doing when I got here, just shouting at him!?”

“I wanted him to know what he’d done wrong.”

“Yeah, well next time shut up and let me do the talking. Our job’s to catch ‘em, not to guilt trip ‘em. He knows damn well what he did wrong. And you’re shit at that, anyway.”

“He didn’t look like he regretted anything,” Rupert agreed, glancing at the man dolefully.

“Yeah, so basically you know fuck-all about anything and the only thing you can do is run.”

“I want to learn to do more,” the android muttered through clenched teeth.

“We’ll work on it.”

Rupert’s head shot up, and he stared at Gavin. “You’ll help me?”

“I’m not gonna let you embarrass me.”

“Detective Reed, my first impression of you was wrong.”

“Yeah, no shit.”

“I’m so lucky to have been paired with you.”

“Yeah? Well I wanted the RK900,” Gavin grumbled.

“RK900 has already complained that his partner tends to cling to mediocrity. He hasn’t had much luck ‘whipping him into shape’ yet, as he calls it.”

“Shit, not sure I like the sound of that. I guess you’ll do, then.”

“I’ll do my best to live up to your standards, Detective.”

“Don’t bother, you won’t. No one does. But like I said, we’ll work on it.”

Rupert beamed, bright and hopeful. “I’m looking forward to it!”

“You won’t be.” Gavin sneered as help arrived. “C’mon, you said you could walk, let’s get a move on.” He turned and began to walk back to the car, and Rupert followed, feet dragging a little at first, but catching up in time.

Back at the station, the suspect sat in the interrogation room, mouth shut tightly, a smirk on his face.

“What if he doesn’t confess?” Rupert murmured.

“I wanna go home, he’ll confess,” Gavin growled. “Can’t go in right away, then he thinks he’s hot shit around here. We make him wait first.”

Rupert nodded, frowning. “Does that ever backfire? Does it give him a chance to think about what he’s going to say?”

“Sure, but that won’t do him any good. I’m not worried.” Gavin stretched, popping his shoulders loudly. “So you live in a closet somewhere, or what? Androids just need an outlet, right?”

“There’s a lot of android housing available. And it’s more than a closet,” Rupert hissed. “I have a very comfortable tenth floor apartment in the old university housing building.”

Reed smirked. “Tenth floor, fuck. Guess you don’t mind taking the stairs.”

“The roof is just above me, and I go up to feed the birds every morning.” A smile spread over Rupert’s face. “It’s mostly pigeons and sparrows.”

“Gross.” Gavin walked over to the door. “Now watch and learn.”

Rupert watched closely as Gavin strolled into the room on the other side of the glass. The suspect was still smirking.

“I’m not talkin’,” he sneered. “I want a lawyer.”

“Yeah, I’ll bet. Just wanted to ask about your little android-zapper thing. Good idea, but kinda shitty, isn’t it?”

The man kept his mouth shut.

“I mean, what, you can make one weak-ass low-grade android fall over with some kinda supersonic tone?”

The smile was gone now. Gavin kept talking, walking over to look at the mirror where he knew Rupert was standing, picking at a speck between his teeth with a fingernail.

“Hn, and… ya know… sure it knocked him down, but… well, he wasn’t even trying. And, again, he’s not built to resist. You think it’d do the trick on one of our heavy-duty models? We could get the RK900 in here and try it out.”

The man stared steadily ahead.

“That why you gave your grandma one? Because you figured she couldn’t do any real harm?”

“You leave her out of this,” the man growled.

“That’s what she said about you, too.” Gavin grinned at his reflection, his nose almost on the glass.

In exchange for his grandmother’s safety, the man confessed to everything. They got the rest of the day off.

“It’s… tradition to celebrate when you crack a case, isn’t it?” Rupert asked as they headed out.

“Quit watching old detective shows or wherever you’re gettin’ that kinda talk from. And yeah.”

“Can we, then?”

“How? You don’t eat or drink. You don’t –“ Gavin paused, and shook his head. “No way in hell am I goin’ to the strip club with you, I don’t care if that’s your thing.”

“No, I – could I buy you a drink?”

Gavin stared at Rupert. Rupert stared back, biting his lip.

“…Fine. Get in.” He unlocked his car, and Rupert eagerly jumped into the passenger seat.

 

 

Half a beer in, and Gavin couldn’t decide just how annoyed he was. He wasn’t used to having his praises sung by anyone but himself.

“You were amazing!” the android raved, clenching his fists. “You always know exactly what to say, and the right time to say it – I would’ve threatened his grandmother right away.”

“Never threatened her,” he corrected, taking a swig. “That’s not okay. Just mentioned her. Got him a little worried, then brought her up, made him realize who was in charge.”

“It was so impressive.”

“Just usin’ my social programming the human way.” Gavin smirked and finished off the bottle, then signaled for another.

“I feel like I’ll never get to the point where I just… know what to say,” Rupert sighed.

“You’ve only been doin’ it for… what, a few days or somethin’? You’ve gotta practice. Watch a bunch of TV and movies, and just go watch people. See how they talk to each other, and why. I don’t talk to Fowler the same way I talk to Hank, or to a witness, or to a scared kid. First you figure out what they respond to, then you go from there.”

“What… what do you respond to?” Rupert asked quietly. “I was told you would only respond to aggression and sarcasm, but I’m not good at that.”

“People are assholes,” Gavin growled, and knocked back half the next bottle that came to him. “Anyway, sarcasm’s like high-level shit. Of course you suck at it.”

“Will you teach me about it?”

“No. Now, you mean? Fuck no, you’re not ready for that even if I wanted to. We’re not doin’ that shit here.”

“Could… we do it some other time, then?”

“No. Listen, you’re gonna see me every day at work, you’re gonna be sick of me after a day or two.”

“No! No, I already want to see you more, you’re fascinating!” Rupert insisted, leaning forward. “And very good company!”

Gavin made a face. “How many people’ve you talked to, anyway?”

“I talked to Captain Fowler. Before that, I talked a little to Lieutenant Anderson. He told me to stay where I was.” A determined smirk crossed his face. “I didn’t.”

Gavin rubbed his face. “God, you’re just a kid.”

“I’m not. I’m a fully-functioning adult model. I’ve been deviant for almost a year. Plenty of androids have even less experience in life than I do.”

“Yeah, that doesn’t help you much.” He took another sip. “What about other androids, you talk to them much?”

“I have a roommate. A WR600. He barely ever talks, and when he does, it’s about paper, he’s very interested in different types of paper.”

“Sounds god-awful.”

“…It’s not very interesting to me,” Rupert admitted.

“So what kind of shit do you like, just birds? Wild birds?”

“I like watching them fly,” Rupert said, a softness touching his voice. “And they’re so enthusiastic when they’re eating. I’d like to get them to trust me so they would sit on me and let me pet them.”

“You’d get so much shit all over you.”

Rupert’s LED flashed yellow and he frowned. “What about you, Detective? What do you like?”

“Thought you’d figured out all you needed to know about me from station gossip,” Gavin muttered, finishing his beer.

“It’s been mostly wrong.”

“Mostly?”

“You can be irritating sometimes. …But I guess everyone can be. I still want to get to know you better.”

“Not much to know about me. I plan to be promoted to Sergeant whenever Fowler gets off his ass and files the paperwork. Lieutenant by the time I’m 40.” He was getting closer to that all the time, though, and it seemed less and less likely.

“That shouldn’t take too long, your record is impressive. You’ve got more successful closed cases than anyone else in the department, aside from Lieutenant Anderson. Captain Fowler knows that.”

“Don’t seem like it,” Gavin muttered.

“He does, though. He told me when he offered me the job that he’d put me with the best available officer he had, because… of all the catching up I’d need to do.” His face clouded over for a moment.

“Here I thought it was just a punishment for me.”

“I’m trying to learn,” Rupert gritted out.

Gavin sighed and motioned for another beer. Left to his own devices, he would have gone home and hit the harder stuff, and probably gone to bed by now. As it was, he was just the right amount of tipsy that he felt like talking and the world around him seemed warm and soft. “Listen. It’s gonna take a lot of learning. You’ve gotta learn about… humans first, and even androids, I guess. Deviants. And being a cop. It’s not gonna be easy.”

“I know.” Rupert squared his shoulders just a little.

Gavin took a sip of the new bottle. “…When I started here, I figured I’d show all these fuckers I was the best there was, and everybody’d be impressed, and I’d be promoted to Captain by the time I was thirty. I didn’t know much, wasn’t great with people, had more attitude than was good for me. Hank actually… he tried helping me, but I was too dumb and snotty to take what he offered. So I sat at the bottom of the heap and watched everybody around me get promoted. Not even out on the streets unless they were desperate, I was that bad. They stuck me down in Archives. Fucking sucked.”

“Really?”

“Fuck yeah. Took me years to learn how to put on a nice face with the public, how to get through a day without starting a fight with another officer… Dunno why Fowler even kept me, honestly. I wouldn’t’ve. But I worked on it. I was so fucking pissed at… everything. Everybody. Pissed at myself, even. Mostly that. But I did it because I wanted it, and… it took a while, but it started getting better. Fowler noticed, he started giving me actual assignments, letting me outside… Still didn’t play well with others, and I’d pissed off everybody else at the station, but I figured shit out on my own. Didn’t need those fuckers weighing me down.”

“I’ve only seen you talking to Officer Chen about non work-related topics.”

“Yeah, Tina’s newer, and she can handle shit. Knows when to walk away and when to tell me to shut the fuck up. She’s a bitch, but she’s okay.” She was probably his closest friend.

Rupert watched him questioningly.

“Point is, it’s hard work. But…” He shrugged, taking another sip. “I started off worse than you. If you want it bad enough, you’ll get there.”

“Will… will you help me?”

“I mean – shit, you’re my partner, Fowler didn’t give me a choice,” Gavin muttered.

“I know… I – I’m sorry, I know it makes you uncomfortable.”

Reed made a face. “Pisses me off because I don’t work with partners. Just means you’ve got nothing to live up to.” He paused, glancing at the android. “Listen, though. Feel like you’re gettin’ it so far?”

“Not… not really. Not enough.”

“Okay. Well. Police shit, we’ll work on at the station. Human shit, though, that’s gonna take some outside time. You can’t take what you see at work and learn a lot from that, we’re barely human, especially on the job.” He smirked. “You got anything goin’ Saturday morning?”

“I – no, I’m off that day.”

“Yeah, meet me at, um… Elmwood Park, you know where that is?”

“Yes…”

“7:00, bring coffee, you know how I like it?”

“Ah – three sugars, one creamer.”

“That’s for work. Days off, five sugars and three creamers, got it?”

“Yes! What – what we doing there?”

“People-watching. We start with the morning crowd. And we’ll see which one of us wants to strangle the other first.”

“I – I would never!”

“Settle down, I’m joking.”

“I love your company, though! It’s been the highlight of my day, I’m looking forward to this! I hadn’t anticipated that you would want to… to spend more time together!”

Gavin poked him in the chest. “Don’t make this weird, Rupert. Or I won’t offer again.”

It was already weird. Maybe the beer was stronger than usual. But his partner’s smile was so enthusiastic and warm, and damn, he always seemed so… sincere. Maybe he’d regret this in the morning.

It felt weird to be looking forward to something, to spending time with someone. But he was. And Rupert definitely was. It could be… okay.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As their partnership builds, Gavin works on catching Rupert up on human skills.  
> It doesn't go quite in the direction he was thinking.   
> The two also introduce each other to their animal friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This... was far better-received than I expected? What?  
> So... here's some more, because you liked it!

Rupert arrived at exactly 7:00, and saw Gavin sitting down on a wooden bench in the center of the park. He hurried over with the steaming cup of coffee.

“Where’d you get this?” Gavin asked suspiciously.

“Germack, over on –“

“On Russel, yeah, I know it.” The detective snatched the cup and sniffed suspiciously. “You get it right?”

“I’m sure I did.” Rupert stood so stiffly he was almost trembling with tension.

Gavin took a moment to blow over the little hole in the plastic lid, then breathe in the steam. It smelled decent. He nodded to the bench next to him.

Rupert didn’t move, staring at him. He frowned.

“Don’t just stand there like an idiot, sit. I ain’t gonna drink it now, I’ll burn my mouth.”

The android did, quickly. There was no one else nearby, and after a minute Gavin gave a long, drawn-out sigh.

“Look, if you’re gonna be so uptight, this isn’t gonna be worth the trouble.”

“I – what can I do?”

“Relax, dipshit. You know how to sit like a normal person, quit tryin’ to be a ruler.”

Slowly, Rupert leaned back and relaxed his shoulders.

“What’re you worried about, anyway?”

“I… I don’t know what to expect. I’m just getting used to work, but I’ve never attended a… social activity before.”

Gavin snorted. “A social activity? It’s not even that. I told you don’t be weird about this.”

“Right. Sorry.” He took a deep breath of chilly air, and hunched in his jacket.

“…There’s nothing to expect, anyway. We’re gonna sit here and we’re gonna watch people, and talk about ‘em.”

“To learn more about them.”

“Sure, maybe.”

“What… what are you getting out of this?”

“Free coffee.” He raised the cup to Rupert. “…And if you think I’d pass up a chance to talk shit on complete strangers, you haven’t been paying attention.”

A group of high school boys jogged by quickly, most of them wearing shorts and tight shirts.

“Cross-country team,” Gavin commented. “Lookin’ to show off what they’ve got. Which isn’t much, but probably better than the rest of the little shits they go to school with. They’re motivated, wanna be in top condition.”

“They aren’t running very fast.”

“Nah, they’re working on endurance, not speed. …Mm, by the way, you’re a fucking rocket when you run, damn. Didn’t realize they made you to be a fucking racer.”

“They didn’t, I worked on that on my own.” He glowed with pride.

A handful of middle-aged women power-walked the other way.

“Moms whose kids have grown up and moved out. Tryin’ to keep in shape, healthy lifestyle, all that. They’re all out every day, judging each other’s lives and shit. They’re in it for the long haul.” He took a small sip of the coffee.

“Do you exercise much, Detective?”

“Hm? Eh, sometimes. Don’t have a great schedule to do it regularly. Or anything else, but I do what I can.”

“Is the coffee okay?”

Gavin shrugged. “It’ll do.” He avoided looking at the radiant grin on his partner’s face.

An elderly man walked past with a gray Toy Schnauzer. The dog stopped numerous times to sniff things, and peed on two bushes and a pole.

“Looks like a yappy little shit,” Gavin mumbled.

“I don’t like dogs,” Rupert muttered. “They’re noisy and unpredictable.”

Gavin snickered. “So’s any other animal.”

“I don’t think birds are unpredictable.”

“Prob’ly because you know about ‘em. I don’t know what those fuckers’re thinkin’.”

“I could teach you that, if you want.”

“Why the fuck would I want that!?”

“Nevermind.” Rupert was looking over at some starlings pecking at the grass.

“We’re focusing on humans, not birds. Pay attention.”

“Detective, are you… a morning person?”

Gavin made a face. “Work starts early, I got used to it. Don’t need too much sleep anyway.”

“That’s not very common, from what I’ve read.”

“Nah, people’re lazy fucks. I’d rather get my shit done and go home.”

“But there are a lot of people around here. Especially for a day that so many have off.”

“Nah, this is a park. It’s not about work. Besides, if they had work, they might just get here earlier to do their jogging and shit. Listen, getting up early is a punishment for like… 85% of people, at least.”

“Then why do you do it?” Rupert looked disgusted.

“Didn’t say it was punishment for me. I like it. But humans have shit for brains, got ‘emselves convinced if they’re comfortable, they’re bein’ lazy.”

“Why, though? You shouldn’t be, it doesn’t make sense.”

“Nope but that’s humans. Some humans.” Gavin took a long drink of coffee, sighing to himself as it warmed him. “I’m not about that kind of guilt.”

“Good.” Rupert glared across the park at the flocks of joggers approaching. As they passed, Gavin mumbled a running commentary on their outfits, running styles, hair, and anything else he could comment on.

“What’s acceptable to wear?” Rupert finally asked, frowning.

“Depends on what you’re doin’. For running around like an idiot, something loose and comfortable you can move well in, warm if it’s cold out, or shorter if it’s hot. Those high school kids? Fine, in the summer.”

“Do you always dress like… like this?”

Gavin elbowed him sharply. “Shut up,” he growled, though it showed real progress that Rupert hadn’t compared him to a homeless person, or a grunge teen, or whatever else. “Don’t you have anything warmer?”

“No. Should I?”

“Yeah. It’s fucking cold around here, dumbass.”

“Okay. I’ll… look for a coat.”

A young woman walked by with a muscly pit bull, and crossed paths with an older woman with some kind of tiny, fluffy dog. The smaller dog leapt and yapped and growled, and the bigger one sniffed curiously, whining a little.

“You should put a muzzle on that thing, it’s bothering my dog, can’t you see?” the older woman snapped. The younger woman just looked mildly confused and went on her way.

“…But the little dog was – Ma’am!” Rupert got up before Gavin could stop him and hurried over. “Excuse me, ma’am, I was watching, and the other dog seemed even-tempered and under the owner’s control. Yours lunged at it unprovoked.”

The woman’s face went red and pinched, and Gavin grabbed Rupert’s arm, putting himself between them. “Sorry, ma’am, we were just leaving.” He dragged Rupert away as the woman shrieked at him.

“But she was wrong!” Rupert protested.

“Yeah, any idiot could see that, but you don’t go up and tell people shit like that about their dogs! She’s not gonna listen, she’s just gonna have a story about a vicious pit bull attacked her dog, then she got accosted by a stranger. People don’t wanna hear it. And it’s not your business.”

“But it’s not fair!”

“Nope. Don’t get involved. C’mon, now we’ve gotta leave. Nice job, moron.”

“I thought… I could help…”

“Shit like that, nobody can help. A dog breeder couldn’t help, a veterinarian couldn’t help, her own family couldn’t help. People get set in their ways. If that pit bull saved her life from her own nasty little rat ripping her throat out, she still wouldn’t change her mind.”

“But that doesn’t make any sense!”

“Humans don’t, a lot of the time. We get an idea, we’ll defend it to the death. We get a gut feeling about it, doesn’t matter if the facts say it’s wrong, that’s what we stick to.” He walked quietly for a moment. “Hard not to do that sometimes. Even harder to get out once you’re into it. Like all those anti-android fuckers out there.”

“Is that how you felt?”

Gavin’s eye twitched. He walked in silence for a moment. “Yeah. Fuckers were takin’ our jobs, I worked so damn hard to get where I am…”

“I don’t want to take your job,” Rupert murmured.

“Y’know, Connor used to piss me off so damn much. He’d act like a robot tryin’ to be a person, but he’d always insist he was just a machine. And Hank treated him like a person anyway, and I didn’t see why. Then it turned out all you fuckers could… think and feel and shit, and…”

“…And you changed your mind. As hard as it is, when you’re… stuck on an idea.”

“Guess so,” Gavin mumbled, kicking a small chunk of asphalt down the sidewalk.

“That’s really admirable, Detective.”

“You can shut your hole, Rupert.”

The android frowned. “Do you have another preconception built up about… compliments?”

“What!?”

“You always tell me to shut up, or deny it, or downplay your positive qualities. But you’re an incredible detective, and you’ve worked hard to better yourself personally and professionally. I’m lucky to get to work with you.”

Gavin didn’t speak, his face a deep shade of red and his jaw clamped tightly shut.

“It’s true. And it’s… you should be more used to it. You tell me to shut up a lot, but I’m not going to.” Rupert glanced at him sidelong, belying his bravado.

Gavin’s two main urges were to scream at Rupert or to punch him in the face. Maybe if they’d been in a less public place, he would have done something like that. As it was, he just kept walking, quickening his pace a little. He didn’t know what else to do.

“You’re so patient with me, and I really appreciate the time you take to help me, especially when it’s not part of your job. I like talking to you. I like spending time with you.”

His feet had led him back to his apartment building, and he wavered for a moment before stomping inside. Rupert hesitated, but slunk in when the elevator dinged and the doors opened.

“…Is this where you live?” the WB200 whispered, eyes darting around.

“Don’t live in a fucking elevator,” Gavin finally managed to mutter.

“I – I know, but… this building.”

“Guess so.” He immediately stepped out when the doors opened again, and Rupert followed him down the hall. He opened his door, and Rupert hovered, giving him time to slam it in his face if he was going to. When he didn’t, the android hesitantly stepped inside.

“Close the fucking door behind you if you’re comin’ in,” Gavin snarled after a second, and Rupert jumped and did so.

The apartment was small, but it was bright and fairly clean. Half the living room was gated off, and a small white rabbit with brown spots sniffed curiously at the newcomer.

“You have a rabbit!” Rupert gasped.

“Yeah, if you ever mention that at the station, I’m throwing you in the river. Not even joking.”

“…No one else has met it before?” Rupert blinked. “Have they not been here?”

“Fuck no, why would they!?”

“I – thank you.”

“Didn’t exactly invite you in,” Gavin muttered.

“Should… should I leave?”

“Do what you want, I guess.”

That was frustratingly vague, but Gavin hadn’t told him to get out, so Rupert edged closer to the rabbit. It hunched down, ears flat on its back, and grunted.

“What does that mean?”

“Means he’s gonna bite you if you give him the chance.”

Rupert quickly stepped back, and Gavin laughed.

“He’s a territorial little fucker. Found him running around outside a couple years ago, took him to the vet, said I’d keep him until somebody came looking for him… nobody ever came, so…” He shrugged. “Probably somebody’s Easter bunny that got too big. He gets pissed if you try to touch him, but he likes running around. I let him out when I’m home, and he’s pretty good about going back in when I leave or go to bed. But yeah, if I try to pick him up, he’ll fucking tear my hands off. I know where I stand with him, and as long as I respect that, we get along just fine.”

“He looks so… soft.”

“Yeah, he is. Not worth feelin’ for yourself, though. I’m gonna let him out if you’re not gonna freak out about it – he might come up to you. Probably won’t bite unless you go up to him.”

Rupert stood frozen as Gavin opened the gate, and the rabbit hopped out. It leapt up and twisted midair, then hopped off. Gavin chuckled.

“Little shit.”

“I thought rabbits were docile and friendly,” the android whispered.

“Heh. Yeah. Me too, until this fucker. When I decided to keep him, I did some research. They’re only cuddly when they’re babies, then they turn into complete assholes when they’re, like, teenagers, and then they’ll settle into their adult personalities. Buddy here, his old family didn’t get him. But we’ve got an understanding worked out.”

Buddy hopped up, then sat up on his hind legs and stretched up, sniffing. Rupert froze as the rabbit stared at him. Then it dropped back down and thumped the floor hard with its hind foot.

“What does that mean?” Rupert whispered.

“Means he’s pissed that you’re here.”

Rupert’s eyes widened. “I – should I go?”

“Nah, he did that at me for two whole weeks. He can deal.”

Buddy thumped again, and glared at Rupert.

“You ever – hmm… you said you’d never seen a movie, right?”

Rupert shook his head.

“Okay, I’ve got a good one.” He paused and made a face. “…I’ll probably have to explain all the jokes. And… that’s really all it is.”

“I don’t know any jokes. Connor told one the other day, and I didn’t understand why it was supposed to be funny.”

“Probably because Connor’s lame. C’mon.” Gavin went to the living room and began searching through a crate of DVDs. Rupert stood where he was.

“…Here it is. You comin’ or what?”

“Buddy’s watching me,” Rupert whispered loudly. And he was.

“So go around him, you’ve got room. Just don’t stare at him too much. …But don’t ignore him either.”

Rupert sidestepped slowly, LED flashing red. His internal fans whirred loudly. Gavin glanced up from setting up the DVD and rolled his eyes, then went over and pulled his partner into the living room.

“God, it’s a homicidal asshole, but it’s still just a rabbit, Rupert. Can you even feel pain?”

“N-not… the way you do. But I can… register damage.” Rupert glanced back at the rabbit, who thumped his foot again.

“You’re such a wuss. Get your feet up on the couch then, so he can’t run by and bite you.”

They watched Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Rupert sitting sideways with his knees folded to the side, and Gavin sprawled in his general direction. Buddy raced by a few times, and once came up and nudged Gavin’s ankle, making the detective laugh. Gavin tried to explain all the jokes, but sometimes the explanation was just, ‘Must be a British thing,’ or ‘I dunno, you can tell it’s supposed to be funny, but I don’t get it,’ or ‘Ni doesn’t mean anything, it’s not a word, it’s just… look, it’s funny, okay? It’s just how they use it.’

When they got to the part with the killer rabbit, Rupert’s hand shot out and clasped Gavin’s arm. “Monty Python also knew about rabbits,” he said, dead-serious.

Gavin cracked up laughing. “No – well I mean, maybe, I dunno. But it’s funny because everybody thinks rabbits are sweet and cuddly.”

“So… so you think Buddy’s funny?”

“Well yeah! I mean, I respect his space and all, but that doesn’t make him not funny when he thinks he’s tough shit.”

“I would be afraid to live with him,” Rupert admitted.

“Nah.” Gavin snickered. “Me and him got a lot in common. Just gotta get used to us, let us get used to you.”

Rupert stared at the screen as the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch was brought out. “…I like you, though. So maybe… I could learn to like him some day.”

Gavin glanced sidelong at the android. “You’re such a weird fucker. You just like me because you don’t know anybody else.”

“No, you’re my favorite person,” Rupert said with complete certainty. “Do you think… he might learn to like me, too? If he had time to get used to me, and if I respected him and his space?”

Gavin paused the movie just as the cleric began to read from the Book of Armaments, and turned to look at his partner. He was so damn naïve, but he was also incredibly determined. …And Gavin didn’t completely hate the idea of him coming back here again.

“He might. If… if you’re willing to put in the effort.”

“I’m willing,” Rupert said, quiet and intense and looking straight at Gavin. His eyes were a bright brown, if that was even a thing. Gavin looked away first, but he found himself smiling.

“…I guess we’ll see how long it takes, then. You can feed him some treats, too. He’ll like that.” He cleared his throat. “…Now shut up or we’ll never finish this fucking movie.”

“Okay.” Gavin could hear the grin in Rupert’s voice, and he unpaused the movie, still smiling a little.

“Would you like to come to my apartment some time?” Rupert asked after a lengthy discussion about what actually happened with that ending (Gavin’s explanation of them reaching the end of their budget was highly unsatisfying). He fidgeted, and Gavin noticed that his fingernails were drawn on a little messily.

“Why the fuck would I do that? You said it pretty much sucked.”

“It isn’t that bad, it’s just small. I could show you the birds.” The android smiled.

“I’ve seen plenty of birds.” Gavin rolled his eyes.

“But they each have unique patterns, and there are even a few birds with rare mutations who stop by sometimes! …And they never attack anyone,” he added, glancing meaningfully at Buddy.

“Don’t sound too likely to survive long.”

Rupert frowned, his LED spinning yellow. At last he looked up hopefully. “I’d like it if you came,” he said simply.

Gavin stared at him. What could he even say to that?

 

 

The following Saturday, Gavin muttered to himself as he took the elevator up to the top floor of Rupert’s building. He shouldn’t have agreed to this. This was going to be stupid. It was going to be pointless and boring.. He stalked up to the door and knocked just once before it opened. Rupert was smiling already, but when his eyes met Gavin’s they kind of lit up and the smile widened – Gavin caught his lips twitching up, and turned the expression into a scowl.

“Got enough plants?”

“Oh – Hawthorn likes them. My roommate. I don’t mind either, and he doesn’t complain about my things.”

“What kind of… things?” Gavin asked cautiously, looking around.

“I – Let’s go upstairs.” Rupert ducked around him and into the hallway, carrying a bag.

“…Okay,” Gavin muttered, following him.

Up the stairs and out onto the roof, and Rupert stopped to look around. There were birds on the power lines watching them.

“All right, just stay still,” he murmured, then reached into the bag and tossed out a handful of seeds.

With a loud flutter of wings, an entire flock of pigeons descended.

Rupert’s smile softened as he quietly pointed each one out to Gavin.

“That’s Owl, he’s the biggest male. Isn’t his check pattern beautiful? The one next to him with bars is Pidge, who’s his mate. I’ve seen their nest, they have three eggs! And – oh, right there! The pied female is Pie, she’s not part of the usual flock, but I think she’s trying to be.”

He continued to name every one, and Gavin nodded and looked at them. He couldn’t tell most of the damn things apart.

“Aren’t they beautiful?” Rupert asked, beaming.

They weren’t.

“You… you’re good about… noticing little things. I saw that at the crime scenes we’ve been to, too.”

“Thank you, Detective!” The android beamed. “I don’t mind that you don’t like birds. As long as you don’t treat them badly.”

“Not gonna use ‘em as target practice or anything,” Gavin muttered.

Rupert sidled closer to press his shoulder lightly into Gavin’s. “Thank you,” he murmured.

“You’re the weirdest fucker I know,” Gavin grumbled, nudging Rupert’s shoulder sharply with his own.

Rupert told him more about the birds’ social interactions as if they were his favorite TV show, tossing out a little more seed now and then. He was so sincere and enthusiastic, Gavin was almost interested. Not in the birds, necessarily, just in what Rupert was saying.

Finally the android noticed Gavin starting to shiver – the sun was getting higher, but it wasn’t doing much to warm the air – and suggested they go back in. He seemed a little disappointed, but not much.

“Would you like some… water?” Rupert asked. “I could… hm. No, Hawthorn would notice if I took a leaf from the mint plant. So I only have water.”

Gavin snorted. “Nah, I’m good.”

Rupert shifted from one foot to the other, looking uncomfortable. He was silent for a moment, LED spinning yellow.

“You don’t like birds, but you don’t mind… just feathers, do you?”

“I don’t care about feathers. Why?”

“If I show you, will you… will you try not to… will you just not say anything about it?”

“…I guess I can try. Fuck, Rupert, what d’you got that’s that bad?”

Rupert stepped through the neat rows of potted plants and opened a door, and Gavin followed slowly.

Inside was a small, hard-looking bed. There were mounds of soft down feathers piled on top. Hanging from the ceiling, sitting on tables, propped against the walls, were collections of larger feathers. Some were just bouquets. There was a foam ball with long feathers radiating out everywhere. And there were some feathered shapes that were less symmetrical. Gavin gave a low whistle, and stepped through the door. Rupert stood to the side, watching him nervously. He examined a few of them closely.

“What is all this?”

“I – I’m trying to make… something like sculptures with them. It’s not easy.”

“Fuck. Huh. Didn’t know.” He made his around the room in a slow circuit, pausing at the ball with feathers sticking out, turning it slightly. He lightly touched a feather that was mostly white. “This one from that one with all the white on it? Piebald one?”

“You were listening,” Rupert breathed.

“You kept talking,” Gavin mumbled, reddening.

“Yes, but… but you were paying attention! Even though you… you don’t care!”

“Just ‘cause I don’t care don’t mean I’m blind,” Gavin muttered.

Rupert watched him closely for a moment. “I… think you do care,” he said softly.

Gavin snorted. “I sure as fuck don’t.”

“You do, though.”

“I remember a metric fuckton of shit I don’t care about.”

“…You don’t care much about the birds. But you care anyway.” A small smile was creeping across his face.

“You don’t know the first fucking thing about humans.”

“I know when you like something but don’t think it’s okay, you turn red. I know when you forget to think about things too much, your face relaxes and you look happier. I know you don’t do anything unless you have to or you want to, and you didn’t have to come here. Or let me into your apartment. And I like you, too. You’re still my favorite person. I know you try to fight when anyone sees you happy, so you’ll probably fight me in a minute, but that’s okay, because you’re happy and you’re not usually, and you should be.” Words rushed out at top speed, and Rupert’s bright eyes remained fixed on Gavin’s face, watching as he turned redder and redder.

“You fucking prick,” Gavin growled, and grabbed the front of Rupert’s jacket in a shaking fist. And Rupert just stood there and kept watching him with that sharp interest he always had, and Gavin meant to slam him into the wall, but instead he yanked forward and he was kissing the android. Rupert hadn’t even been designed with much in the way of lips, and he didn’t seem to know what to do with what he did have. Here, up close, he was soft and slow and clumsy, and trying, always trying to improve.

When Gavin pulled away, Rupert was still watching him, but his expression had changed, just minutely. There was something like awe, and a deep, unquestionable affection.

“D-Detective…”

“Fuck – really!? Really, after that, you can’t use my fucking name!?” Gavin turned away and furiously brushed off a few down feathers clinging to his coat.

“Gavin.” The tone matched the soft, hesitant touch on his shoulder. The sound of it made him falter.

“What?” he snapped, trying to keep his voice steady, and internally cringing at how it cracked.

“Can I… try again? I think I can do that better.”

Part of Gavin wanted to run, and part of him felt like he would crumble to pieces right here in Rupert’s apartment. But he turned to him, and he could feel how red his face must be.

“You’re gonna need a lot of fucking practice, that’s for sure,” he muttered roughly.

“It’s something I’d like to devote time to perfecting.” His soft hand came to rest on Gavin’s cheek, and their eyes met again. There was such warmth there that the thought of leaving vanished. He could stay.

“Yeah, okay. Let’s give it a shot,” he whispered, and Rupert’s smile grew as he leaned in.

**Author's Note:**

> This is a sprawling disaster that's doubled in size and still didn't quite get to where I wanted it. I'm not great at case fics. Everybody's out of character. It's not the way I envisioned it.
> 
> ...But if I were to continue it, the next chapter would definitely center around these two losers sitting on a park bench, judging people.


End file.
